# certamen
## English
### Etymology

From Latin certāmen (“contest”).

### Pronunciation

* (faithful to Latin original) IPA: [kɛɹˈtɑːmɛn]
* (Anglicised) IPA: [kɚˈtɑmən]

### Noun

certamen (uncountable)
* A team competition in which contestants answer questions about classical history, culture, and mythology, and the Latin language.
** 1983 August 12, Susan Chira, Special To the New York Times, “A Roman Holiday Upstate”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:It was the semifinal round of Certamen, Latin for contest, the Junior Classical League's answer to “It's Academic.” Two teams of four-each sat across from a judge, and pressed buzzers that lighted up a bulb showing which team responded first.
** 1988 February 21, Tessa Melvin, “A Latin revival takes the stage at John Jay High School”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:There's the “certamen” or contest, similar, Mrs. Nicholls said, to a television quiz show. Students compete against other schools in mythology, history and trivia. Anyone can enter - all they have to know is some Latin.

### Anagrams

* Arcement

## Catalan
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin certāmen (“contest”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central, Balearic) [sərˈta.mən]
* IPA: (Valencia) [seɾˈta.men]

### Noun

certamen m (plural certàmens)
* contest, competition

### Further reading

* “certamen” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “certamen”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “certamen” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “certamen” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Latin
### Etymology

From certō (“struggle, contend”) +‎ -men (noun-forming suffix).

### Pronunciation

* (Classical Latin) IPA: /kerˈtaː.men/, [kɛrˈt̪äːmɛn]
* (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA: /t͡ʃerˈta.men/, [t͡ʃerˈt̪äːmen]

### Noun

certāmen n (genitive certāminis); third declension
* A contest, race, struggle, strife.
* A battle, engagement, combat.
    Synonyms: certatus, duellum, rixa, bellum
** Late 4th century, Jerome [et al.], transl., edited by Roger Gryson, Biblia Sacra: Iuxta Vulgatam Versionem (Vulgate), 5th edition, Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, published 2007, →ISBN, I Timotheum 6:12, page 1836:certa bonum certamenfight the good fight
* An object contended for, prize.

#### Declension

Third-declension noun (neuter, imparisyllabic non-i-stem).

#### Derived terms

* certāmen equōrum (“horse race”)

#### Related terms

* certābundus
* certātim
* certātiō
* certātīvē
* certātor
* certātus
* certō
* certor

#### Descendants

* → Catalan: certamen
* → English: certamen
* → Italian: certame
* → Portuguese: certame
* → Spanish: certamen

### References

* “certamen”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
* “certamen”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
* certamen in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)
* certamen in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.
* Carl Meißner, Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book‎, London: Macmillan and Co. gymnastic contests: certamina gymnica party-strife: certamen partium to engage in the fight: in certamen descendere single combat: certamen singulare to challenge some one to single combat: povocare aliquem ad certamen singulare

## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin certāmen.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Spain) /θeɾˈtamen/ [θeɾˈt̪a.mẽn]
* IPA: (Latin America, Philippines) /seɾˈtamen/ [seɾˈt̪a.mẽn]
* Rhymes: -amen
* Syllabification: cer‧ta‧men

### Noun

certamen m (plural certámenes)
* contest, competition, pageant
    Synonym: concurso
    certamen literario ― literary contest
** 2021 July 15, Raquel Piñeiro, “Amparo Muñoz, el infierno televisado”, in El País‎:Jane Fonda y Angela Davis recibieron la llamada del novio de Miss Universo, que les contó que la joven reina de belleza estaba siendo explotada por la organización del certamen y vivía en espantosas condiciones.Jane Fonda and Angela Davis received a phone call from the boyfriend of Miss Universe, who told them that the young beauty queen was being exploited by the organization of the pageant and lived in horrible conditions.
* challenge
    Synonyms: desafío, reto

#### Related terms

* cierto

### Further reading

* “certamen”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10